• He’s resourceful: Sanders got his big break with an ad for Sony Walkman. “I had very little money, I made one for Sony Walkman. I had no idea what I was doing but I took it to an agency. A week later, they called and said they’d sold it to Sony,” the director told The Guardian.

• He’s romantic: When he first laid eyes on Ross 16 years ago, he fell in love. “We were at a party one night and this beautiful girl walked in the room,” Sanders told The Guardian. “I just knew I was going to marry her.”

• Oscars run in the family: His brother-in-law is musician Atticus Ross, who worked with Trent Reznor on The Social Network soundtrack that won an Oscar in 2010.

• He’s a family man: Sanders cast Ross as Snow White’s mother in Snow White and the Huntsman and he also cast their children, Skyla, 7, and Tennyson, 5, as extras in the final scene in the film.

• He loves California: Though he grew up in the Fulham section of London, Sanders, who is currently based in Los Angeles, has fully adapted to life on the West Coast. “I actually love California,” he told The Guardian. “It’s beautiful weather and the kids can run wild and run free. It’s like living in the country but the center of the film industry is 30 minutes away.”